Youth Coaching Program
Our Youth/Junior coaching program runs for 50 weeks of the year, through the school holidays, so we have no long breaks which can harm a player’s development. It starts at £55 per month per player for a weekly lesson. If you ever miss a lesson, you can make it up at any other suitable lesson so you never miss out.
We have a tennis curriculum that is based around years of coaching, watching and playing tennis. From this, each month we have a game situation from tennis to base our different groups around. Within these groups we will then work on relevant tactics and techniques to help the player develop their skill game. We feel that this way of working produces well rounded tennis players who enjoy the game, and are in a position to take tennis to the level they want.
All our lessons involve a dynamic warm up, followed by a body & ball and/or racket & ball warm up. We then go into a group teaching point, with individual teaching points given to players once they are out playing. After a few progressions, the lessons finish with some competition involving the lessons teaching point.
We like to use open play with our coaching, so players will not be lining up waiting to hit balls, but get into rallying and actually playing tennis. This helps our players development and gives them the realism of tennis and helps their movement and receiving skills, which is massive in developing your game. This is true even for our younger players, where we will get them working in pairs, either rallying or feeding (throwing) the ball to each other.
Below is a description of all our youth/junior sessions:
Mini Red (8 and under)
Mini Red is for our players under 8 years old, played on a smaller court (around the size of a service box) with low compression balls. Our Mini Red curriculum works heavily around coordination and movement, so our players are in the best place to develop their tennis. We also start to introduce teaching the base technique of the tennis shots. Our players will start to rally and score in this stage, with the main focus on enjoyment and improving players coordination, movement and reading of the ball.
Mini Orange (8 – 10 Years)
Mini Orange is for our players aged 8 - 10, played on a court around 3/4 the size of a full court. We focus more on the players technical development in this stage, leading on from the teachings through the mini red stage. We will use tennis language to the players, and have them playing full matches while focusing on the process of developing and improving their technique. We introduce the players to the different ball characteristics and tactical intentions
Mini Green (9-11 Years)
Mini Green is for our player aged 9 - 11 years old, played on a full-size tennis court. We continue to focus on, and fine tune, the players technique. We also get the players understanding how to use these techniques in different game situations with different tactical intentions. We continue to use the tennis language to all players, and introduce decision making around the players tactical intentions.
Junior Development Squads (11 years and over)
Junior Development Squads (11 years and over)For our players aged over 11, they now use the regular tennis balls on a full-size court. We now build on all the technical and tactical knowledge and skills the players have developed through the mini tennis stages. With this continual development the players will explore different game styles and start to find their own style of play. Players will compete internally within their group and the club. and will start to be encouraged to compete externally.
Junior Competition Squads (14 years and over)
Our Competition squads are for our players who wish to take their tennis more seriously. We continue to develop the players technique and tactical knowledge, and also focus on players decision making and game style, for them to put into matches when they compete. The players are more focused on match play and competing, which is incorporated with these sessions. Players are expected to be competing in LTA competition and coach support will be given to all players for this
Sign up to any of our groups by emailing info@thetennislife.net and remember you have to be a member of Sheen Lawn Tennis and Squash Club to take part in any coaching
